Technical Standards for Admissions &amp; Retention

The educational objective of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program at the
University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy is to prepare students for the practice
of pharmacy. Students admitted to, as well as those continuing in the PharmD program,
must have the intellectual, emotional, and physical abilities, with reasonable accommodations
provided to those with disabilities, to acquire the knowledge, behaviors, clinical
and technical skills to successfully complete the curriculum in preparation for licensure
as a practicing pharmacist. Further, the safety of the patient, on whom the professional
education process is primarily focused, must be ensured as the final and ultimate
consideration. Therefore, it is essential for competent patient care to require students
to meet minimum technical standards in their pharmacy education.

The technical standards outlined below specify those attributes the faculty considers
necessary for initiating, continuing, or completing a high quality pharmacy education
program, thus enabling each graduate to enter practice. The awarding of the PharmD
degree signifies that the holder is prepared to enter into the practice of pharmacy.
The faculty has the responsibility to monitor the maintenance of these standards.
Students must be able to independently perform all of the described functions. In
addition, any conditions that pose a current or potential risk to the safety and well
being of patients or colleagues must be formally disclosed prior to enrollment in
the College of Pharmacy. Such disclosure will not result in automatic exclusion from
the program but must be considered in the interest of patient safety.

The five standards listed below describe the essential functions students must demonstrate
in order to fulfill the requirements of a pharmacy education, and thus, are prerequisites
for entrance to, continuation in, and graduation from the College of Pharmacy. The College of Pharmacy will consider for admission any
applicant who demonstrates the ability to perform or to learn to perform the skills
listed in this document. A candidate for the PharmD degree must meet or exceed the
required aptitude, abilities, and skills, in the following areas:

Observation

Students must be able to observe demonstrations and experiments, including but not
limited to, the basic and pharmaceutical sciences and medical illustrations and models.
They must be able to directly and accurately observe a patient's physical condition,
noting nonverbal as well as verbal signals. The student must be able to obtain a history
and perform appropriate physical assessments and to correctly integrate the information
obtained from these observations to develop an accurate therapeutic plan. They must
be able to prepare medications for dispensing to patients and observe the activities
of technical staff operating under their supervision. This observation necessitates
the functional use of the sense of vision, hearing, and other sensory modalities.

Communication

The student must be able to communicate in oral and written English with patients,
the patient's family members or caretaker, and other health care practitioners. Students
must be able to communicate quickly, effectively, and efficiently with the faculty
and all members of the healthcare team when the time available is limited in order
that decisions based upon these communications can be made rapidly.

Sensory and Motor Coordination and Function

A student must have sufficient motor function and skills to perform basic tasks in
the practice of pharmacy. These tasks include, but are not limited to, motor function
sufficient to monitor drug responses, accurately compound and prepare sterile and
non-sterile dosage forms, elicit information from patients using basic patient assessment
skills such as palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers,
provide general care and emergency treatment to patients (e.g., first aid treatments,
cardiopulmonary resuscitation), perform basic laboratory tests (e.g., blood glucose
concentrations), and administer immunizations.

Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities

A student must possess sufficient intellectual, conceptual, integrative, and quantitative
abilities to complete a rigorous and intense didactic and experiential curriculum.
They must be able to learn through a variety of modalities including, but not limited
to, classroom instruction, small group activities, individual study, preparation and
presentation of reports, and use of computer technology. A student must be able to
memorize, measure, calculate, reason, analyze, synthesize, and apply complex information.
They must also be able to comprehend spatial relationships and three-dimensional models.

Behavioral and Social Attributes

Students must possess the emotional and mental health required for full use of their
intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all
responsibilities attendant to didactic and experiential education, and the development
of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients and healthcare professionals
of differing cultures and backgrounds. Compassion, integrity, kindness, patience,
interpersonal skills, and motivation are required of all students.

Students must be of sufficient emotional health to be able to tolerate physically,
intellectually, and emotionally taxing workloads and to function effectively under
stress or with distractions thus enabling them to adapt to circumstances and situations
that may change rapidly without warning and/or in unpredictable ways.